Bom Lesson 22: Have Ye Received His Image in Your Countenances?

Engaging Gospel Doctrine: 195

BoM Lesson 22: “Have Ye Received His Image in Your Countenances?”

Link to Online Lesson: “Have Ye Received His Image in Your Countenances?”

Class Member Reading: Alma 5-7

Alma 5

1Now it came to pass that Alma began todeliverthe word ofGodunto the people, first in the land of Zarahemla, and from thence throughout all the land.

2And these are the words which he spake to the people in the church which was established in the city of Zarahemla, according to his own record, saying:

3I, Alma, having beenconsecratedby my father, Alma, to be ahigh priestover the church of God, he having power andauthorityfrom God to do these things, behold, I say unto you that he began to establish a church in thelandwhich was in the borders of Nephi; yea, the land which was called the land of Mormon; yea, and he did baptize his brethren in the waters of Mormon.I still find it interesting that “power and authority” is emphasized more in reference to Alma than any other point (aside from 3 Nephi).

4And behold, I say unto you, they weredeliveredout of the hands of the people of king Noah, by the mercy and power of God.As I said, I think that this framing of the bondage represents a radical change from the way he perceived it earlier. I think this bondage played a central role in his desire to destroy the Church.

5And behold, after that, they were brought intobondageby the hands of the Lamanites in the wilderness; yea, I say unto you, they were in captivity, and again the Lord did deliver them out ofbondageby the power of his word; and we were brought into this land, and here we began to establish the church of God throughout this land also.This verse provides a key chronology clue. Is Alma distancing himself from the bondage? It seems those years were formative for Alma, but why wouldn’t he be included in the “deliver them”? Also interesting he says “we began” to establish the Church when he was at the time trying to destroy it…

6And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained inremembrancethe captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he hasdeliveredtheir souls from hell?Alma is going to rapid fire questions in this chapter.

7Behold, he changedtheir hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by thebandsof death, and thechainsof hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them.

8And now I ask of you, my brethren, were they destroyed? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, they were not.

9And again I ask, were the bands of deathbroken, and thechainsof hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they didsingredeeming love. And I say unto you that they are saved.Beautiful, evocative imagery in this chapter.

10And now I ask of you on what conditions are theysaved? Yea, what grounds had they to hope for salvation? What is the cause of their being loosed from the bands of death, yea, and also the chains of hell?Notice Alma’s rhetorical strategy.. he engages in an imaginary dialog with his audience, thus drawing them in to his argument.

11Behold, I can tell you—did not my father Alma believe in the words which were delivered by themouthof Abinadi? And was he not a holy prophet? Did he not speak the words of God, and my father Alma believe them?

12And according to his faith there was a mightychangewrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true.

13And behold, hepreachedthe word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put theirtrustin the true andliving God. And behold, they were faithful until theend; therefore they were saved.Look at key words: Change of heart. Humble. Trust. Faithful. Saved.

14And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have yespirituallybeenborn of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mightychangein your hearts?This is a key verse, describing the experience of being “born of God”. When we are “born of God”, our hearts are powerfully changed and our demeanor, our “countenance” reflects the love and caring and awareness and nature of God.

15Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him whocreatedyou? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruptionraisedin incorruption, to stand before God to bejudgedaccording to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?I find this wording very helpful—“look forward with an eye of faith.” Faith is what motivates us to put hope into action. If we can see our desired outcome with an “eye of faith”, we can experience greater motivation to put consistent effort toward that outcome.

16I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me yeblessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?Alma understands psychology!! By imagining future situations, especially situations where we will be held accountable for our actions, we access a better part of ourselves.

17Or do yeimagineto yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, andsay—Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth—and that he will save you?Our actions need to be defensible to all those involved. Imagining defending our actions to God can be powerful and productive, and that is what Alma is pushing the people to do here.

18Or otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfectremembranceof all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God?*This* is the anguish of hell. A perfect remembrance and regret for our actions.

19I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having theimageof God engraven upon your countenances?This wording is stronger than “received” the image of God.

20I say unto you, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to becomesubjectsto the devil?

21I say unto you, ye will know at that day that ye cannot besaved; for there can no man be saved except hisgarmentsare washed white; yea, his garments must bepurifieduntil they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins.

22And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained withbloodand all manner offilthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you?What an evocative image. I have sometimes wondered what it would be like if our sins stained our garments, literally.

23Behold will they nottestifythat ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye areguiltyof all manner of wickedness?The garments are testifying here…

24Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God, withAbraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white?Now he is tapping into esteem/status of those who are respected and the human need for comparison.

25I say unto you, Nay; except ye make our Creator a liar from the beginning, or suppose that he is a liar from the beginning, ye cannot suppose that such can have place in the kingdom of heaven; but they shall be cast out for they are thechildrenof the kingdom of the devil.

26And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced achangeof heart, and if ye have felt to sing thesongof redeeming love, I would ask,canye feel so now?Another rhetorical strategy: Alma has asked his audience to project themselves into the future, and now he asks them to remind themselves of where they were in the past, and then asks them if they can access that past part of themselves, bring it into the present.

27Have ye walked, keeping yourselvesblamelessbefore God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficientlyhumble? That your garments have beencleansedand made white through the blood of Christ, who will come toredeemhis people from their sins?Another great question! If you died right now, what would you regret? What would you regret not having done? What would you regret not having said? What kinds of things do you want to be said at your funeral? What do you want to be remembered for? Relatedly, if you came to a sure knowledge that your existence ended at death, would you live your life differently?

28Behold, are ye stripped ofpride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life. More evocative wording (also makes me think of the dragon scene from Voyage of the Dawn Treader)

29Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped ofenvy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should preparequickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless.We don’t know when we will die, so we should be ready for it every day. Pride and envy are both comparative, zero sum propositions: in order for you to have worth, pride and envy say, others need to be less.

30And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make amockof his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?We have to repent of tearing others down.

31Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and thetimeis at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved!

32Yea, even wo unto all yeworkersof iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it!

33Behold, he sendeth an invitation untoallmen, for thearmsof mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.God invites, not coerces.

34Yea, he saith:Comeunto me and ye shall partake of thefruitof the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of thebreadand the waters of lifefreely;

35Yea, come unto me and bring forth works of righteousness, and ye shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire—

36For behold, the time is at hand that whosoeverbringethforth not good fruit, or whosoever doeth not the works of righteousness, the same have cause to wail and mourn.Another great principle: We are judged by our actions. Our deeds prove our religion.

37O ye workers of iniquity; ye that arepuffed upin the vain things of the world, ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have goneastray, assheephaving noshepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hathcalledafter you and is still calling after you, but ye will nothearkenunto his voice!Pride and hypocrisy.

38Behold, I say unto you, that the goodshepherddoth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ; and if ye will nothearkenunto the voice of thegood shepherd, to thenameby which ye are called, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd.This is interesting—Christ radiates himself, and to the degree we mirror Christ, we will feel that call and respond. I think that similarly, we all radiate our natures and attract those who resonate.

39And now if ye are not thesheepof the good shepherd, of what fold are ye? Behold, I say unto you, that thedevilis your shepherd, and ye are of his fold; and now, who can deny this? Behold, I say unto you, whosoever denieth this is aliarand achildof the devil.Harsh. And mutton’s on the menu.

40For I say unto you that whatsoever isgoodcometh from God, and whatsoever isevilcometh from the devil.I like how practical this approach is. If you applied it to say, the Old Testament God, it wouldn’t shake out so well… this is an answer to the classical “Euthyphro’s Dilemma”: "Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?" In other words, is good bigger than God? Mormonism answers with an emphatic yes. I love it.

41Therefore, if a man bringeth forthgood workshe hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth follow him; but whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh achildof the devil, for he hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow him.Again, a clear and testable guideline.

42And whosoever doeth this must receive hiswagesof him; therefore, for hiswageshe receivethdeath, as to things pertaining unto righteousness, being dead unto all good works.Virtuous and vicious cycles…. We become more or less sensitive to our conscience and the feelings of others depending on our choices.

43And now, my brethren, I would that ye should hear me, for I speak in theenergyof my soul; for behold, I have spoken unto you plainly that ye cannot err, or have spoken according to the commandments of God.

44For I am called to speak after this manner, according to theholy orderof God, which is in Christ Jesus; yea, I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people the things which have been spoken by our fathers concerning the things which are to come.

45And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that Iknowof these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?It is vital that we speak from our own personal conviction and experience.

46Behold, I say unto you they are madeknownunto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I havefastedand prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit ofrevelationwhich is in me.

47And moreover, I say unto you that it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers are true, even so according to the spirit of prophecy which is in me, which is also by the manifestation of the Spirit of God.

48I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say unto you, concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name.

49And now I say unto you that this is theorderafter which I am called, yea, to preach unto my beloved brethren, yea, and every one that dwelleth in the land; yea, to preach unto all, both old and young, both bond and free; yea, I say unto you the aged, and also the middle aged, and the rising generation; yea, to cry unto them that they must repent and beborn again.

50Yea, thus saith the Spirit: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand; yea, the Son of God cometh in hisglory, in his might, majesty, power, and dominion. Yea, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, that the Spirit saith: Behold the glory of theKingof all the earth; and also the King of heaven shall very soon shine forth among all the children of men.

51And also the Spirit saith unto me, yea, crieth unto me with a mighty voice, saying: Go forth and say unto this people—Repent, for except ye repent ye can in nowise inherit thekingdomofheaven.

52And again I say unto you, the Spirit saith: Behold, theaxis laid at the root of the tree; therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall behewndown and cast into the fire, yea, a fire which cannot be consumed, even an unquenchable fire. Behold, and remember, the Holy One hath spoken it.Interesting that Alma is preaching this intense, apocalyptic urgency over 80 years before Jesus.

53And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, andtramplethe Holy One under your feet; yea, can ye bepuffed upin the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing ofcostlyapparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon yourriches?Trample the Holy One under your feet. Wow.